Just Read The Book
by Queentakesjack
Summary: Demi's brother may be a genius, but he's lazy when it comes to history. Instead of reading the book, he creates a machine that transports him and his sister into the story of Perseus. Just the wrong story of Perseus... Rt M for safety. OC/HADES
1. Lake Zane

_**Just Read The Book**_

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><p><strong>I know, I know, I'm the Queen of Self Insertion. I just enjoy it okay? But anyway, I've written this story a while ago while I was taking a break on my HP story. I wrote 6 chapters of it, it's not done, but this story wouldn't be terribly long if I chose to finish it. <strong>

**I posted it, because I wanted to see if it's worth continuing, considering that Clash of the Titans doesn't have a lot of stories in it to begin with, and I don't even know if there's a lot of demand for stories about a movie that came out like, almost two years ago. **

**If I don't get a lot of response for it in over a month, I'll just delete it. But if you like it, I may just continue it. **

**DISCLAIMER: **_I only own Demi and Lake, and some random soldiers. This story will eventually become canon-ish, and if I chose to continue this story, you will see why. _

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><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE.<strong>  
><em>Lake Zane <em>

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><p>I had my head shoved in the bathtub, washing out the red dye that I had lathered in there earlier. It wasn't obnoxiously red, but red enough that you could tell that it was dyed. While I was doing this, my brother, Lake, was going on and on about the ridiculousness of failing World History. He was seventeen and one credit away from graduating high school, which was his weakest class to date. Lake, the genius, hated history. To him, it was the most boring course known to man. But how could he know? He doesn't listen in history class.<p>

He was good at the sciences; engineering and physics was his thing. Though he barely passes those classes with a 60. The reason why? He ignores his projects and does his own. Last year, he attempted to make our home television set into a 3D one, so we didn't have to buy one ourselves. The only thing he made 3D was our father's vein on his forehead.

But, Lake was pretty sure of himself here. He was convinced that he made a machine that would make him famous and independently rich beyond comprehension. He thinks that he has created a way to be transported through time and universes with the help of a small Wormhole that was supposedly coming tonight, in our backyard of all places. I always wondered why haven't our parents sent him to a mental help facility. But he was my little brother, and what ever crazy thing he did, I would try to support his dreams. The more failures he's come by makes it more and more difficult to do so.

"You know, Demi, dying your hair red wouldn't be a good idea if you're coming with me," Lake said at the doorframe, after he finished explaining his machine.

"Look at it this way, if we do make it there, they'll mistake me for a Princess, or a demi-god," I replied over the sound of water dripping form my hair as I twist it.

Lake tapped his chin, "would they really?"

I roll my eyes and pull back my hair and dried it with a towel. It was still wet, but not soaking, so I let it tumble against my back, and let my fringe stick out in awkward angles. "Probably not," I sighed. "I don't get it, why don't you just read the book? Wouldn't it take less time?"

"Well, one, no, it wouldn't take less time. Because when we're done, we would be sent back only an hour after we left. And two, the book is boring. I don't understand half of the things they're talking about."

I sighed again, gathering my hair in a ponytail, and blow dried my bangs so they wouldn't end up curled and wild when my hair dried by itself. This is what I do when my parents are gone: hang out with my brother. Most college students my age are out drinking, or at frat parties. But no, Demi Zane is at home, dying her hair while her brother had plans in which involved a fantasy that would get him out of reading a book. I had to be the only tweny-two year old in the world that spends her weekends like this.

"Besides," Lake continued, "This is just more fun! Don't you want to go on an adventure?"

"Yes, like, actually going to Greece, maybe to a club, and not sitting in a box, and pretending," I was getting frustrated, Lake could tell, but he didn't care.

He was excited, because he "knew" that this was going to work. Grabbing my arm, he pulled me into his room that was last in the hallway. Thankfully our parents were away for the weekend, on their 10th honeymoon? It was hard to keep track. So we were both alone in this big mansion of ours.

Yes, our family was wealthy, but you couldn't tell by the me and Lake alone. Gus Zane, my father, is a proud man, and doesn't like to feed Lake's trigger happy imagination and gift. He prefers to have his son be in Politics, like him, instead of a physicist and wasting his time making inventions that never work, or are impossible. Ingrid, my mom, is much more gentle than he is. She would laugh at Lake's attempts, and encourage Lake and I's dreams, however ridiculous they may seem. Our father and mother are polar opposites, you see, with one being a workaholic politician, the other being an owner of a prestigious wedding gown store. Gus dealt with debates, and Ingrid dealt with crying girls.

Lake's room is the smallest in the house, and that is saying something. Toronto is the home of many old houses, most of which Victorian and in the heart of the City. However our large Victorian house was settled away from the city, surrounded by big oak and willow trees on the border of Vaughan. The house had many hidden corridors, some of which go unnoticed by our parents. One of them conveniently lays behind Lake's closet. It wasn't big, but it was where he hid all his inventions.

In the middle of the hidden room, I saw a flat platform made out of different kinds of metals; it was large enough for two people to stand on. And then connected to it with tangles of black, red and blue wires was another platform, smaller, with a glass dome over it. Next to the machine was a big duffle bag and a chair with cloths of familiar material.

"Are those the drapes from the Dining Room?" I ask, pointing at the material with a hanging jaw.

"Yes!" Lake exclaimed, as if he has just forgotten about them. "I made something from you." He pulled out the off-white sheets, and I made a groaning sound as I quickly learned that length of the drapes have been cut. There was a skirt, followed by a brown-leather sash wrapped around the waist, and the bodice was tied to one shoulder with a bronze clasp that looked like one of my belt buckles that was a shield with a roaring lion.

"Lake!" I yelled, furious that he actually went as far as defacing the tapestries. You know shit's gone too far when that happens.

"I've made myself one too. I've packed all the essentials. My notes, pencil case, shampoo, soap, tooth brushes and tooth paste, some extra clothes. Not much, a gown I made for you with the curtains in my washroom, and I got your gladiator sandals, and bought myself a pair too. An extra note book for you, of course, mum and dad's old jewelry - the ones that they don't wear anymore - to bargain with people. Like, four bottles of sunscreen - I heard it's hot in Greece - uhm... Tampons, for you know... Perishable foods, like cheerios, soup in a can, granola bars, some other stuff, a few big bottles of water, oh, and-" he stopped talking to move in a corner of the room and pulled out another bag, this time dragging it at his feet. I heard a clang and the scrape of metal, and ran a hand over my face as I knew exactly what that was.

"I found a store down town... Authentic replicas of Greek swords! Real metal, unbreakable, fully functional... I've got two of them, and sheaths. And bow and arrows for the both of us. I was going to buy the shields...but I couldn't even pick one up..."

"Lake - you don't know how to use a sword. Or a Bow."

"What are you talking about, we both took Archery and Fencing."

"...You barely lasted a month." Which was true. My father wanted us to do a unique sport, instead of soccer or baseball, and had us enrolled in a number of classes. I have two years of Fencing, and Archery under my belt, and ten years of martial arts. Lake, however, barely lasted a month in Fencing and only six in Archery before my dad let him give up and put him in Science camp.

There was no use of arguing with him. The Wormhole was supposedly opening at exactly midnight, it was 9:30 pm right now, and I just want to get this over with so I could crawl into bed and sleep. There was just the issue of my mother's curtains to pay for... my mom isn't a vengeful woman, but she has always been touchy about the decor of our house. In about a half hour's time, both Lake and I were dressed. I was wearing the tunic dress he had made for me out of the Dining Room drapes; the off white colour had vines embroidered in them, but you had to be close to me to see the designs. The sash fit well around my waist, and Lake confessed he had to go through my clothes to find out my exact size in everything. And I do mean everything. So creepy. The skirt cut at my knee, and I wore my gladiator sandals, that went up only to my ankles, and had studs on the black leather. I had a belt too, to hold the sword that weighed about the same as my brother, and the quiver with arrows and bow strapped to my back. By now my hair is dry, but i left it in its pony tail, so without any braids or normal hair colour, I looked like some kind of elf from World of Warcraft, not a woman from Ancient Greece.

Lake had on a brown leather skirt, and made sure to wear underwear too. His gladiator shoes were no where from modern. They were brown leather and wrapped all the way up to his knee with thick bands and buckles. He had a tunic shirt, and a breast plate that went over his shoulders like some Greek shoulder pads. It looked really awkward on him, considering he was so small and lacked any muscle. His belt with his sword was making him stumble off to the side every once in a while because of the unbalance of weight.

During the preparation, Lake had explained what was going to happen. He was going to put something on the small platform, something relating to the story of Perseus, and we would stand on the larger one. We had set it up in our backyard, behind the shed where the sky is clear of any trees, and area cleared of curious eyes. The signal that the Machine would make would attract the Wormhole to us, and the signals in which the smaller platform had would redirect the Wormhole to that place.

Lake also had two earpieces and mic that charged thanks to the solar panel on the top, and this would help us communicate in Ancient Greek, and understand it. It would also work as a walkie-talkie if the we got separated.

It seemed everything was well thought out about this. The assignment was actually made the first day of school, so he had plenty of preparation for this. Even though, it would have taken less time if he had just read the book. Lake even had a back story for us, and how we would get back. We had exactly a month until the Wormhole closes, which would equal one hour in home's time. On the 30th day there, we would have to go back to the spot in which we arrived in order to get back home. And to track the wormhole to us, Lake had two necklaces that had a chip on the back. One necklace was of a lion's head, much like my belt buckle, and the other of the head of a horse.

By the time we were finished, ate, and used the washroom - which reminded Lake to bring some toilet paper, pain killers, and make a first aid kit - it was 11:55.

We gathered our things, I having to carry the duffle bag that weighed just as much as the sword, and Lake had a small satchel that held the first aid kit, and a pouch of water. Lake went over to the small platform, placed in the object, a book I think from what I can see. He did a double check to make sure we had everything, and when he was certain we finally got onto the platform.

We stood on that platform for five minutes. The lights were on, showing that it was on and at the ready, but it was already two minutes passed midnight. He had said that it was supposed to happen at exactly midnight, but that had passed and he told me to weight maybe a little longer.

I sighed dramatically, "Lake, it's not working. You still have a month left until the assignment. If we hurry now, you can-"

I couldn't finish my sentence. Because all the breath in me was sucked out, and suddenly my body and Lake's were stretched out in a vacuum, a vortex of greens and golds and midnight blues. I couldn't scream, for I had no voice... You can't scream in space.

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><p><strong>Well there you have it! So if you like it, and want to read more, I'll like some feed back telling me it's worth to post more. I might even post the second chapter just to get more reads, since more people read stories that have more than one chapter going on. <strong>

**Happy readings xoxo**

**qtj**


	2. Zeus' Shadow

_**Just Read The Book**_

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><p><strong>Wow, I actually got reviews and alerts and favourites! That's more than I thought I would get. Thank you so much! I didn't even think I would get any hits. Well, I decided to post the second chapter to give you a better idea of how it's going to be. This is where the movie will start, but it gets more interesting - I guess? - in the third chapter, so if I still get a good response, I will post the third chapter maybe next week?<strong>

**Thanks so much!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two.<strong>  
><em>Zeus' Shadow<em>

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><p>It wasn't a pleasant feeling, landing in boiling hot sand, but when I felt air hit my face, I gasped for it. It felt like an eternity that I wasn't breathing and half way through that vortex I thought I was dead. Shortly after I landed, so did Lake, and he too was coughing for air. I still wasn't mentally ready to register what happened, all I wanted to do was get off the hot sand that was burning my knees and palms. I glanced around and found a shadow that was made by something large. I didn't bother to check what exactly that was, so all I did was pull Lake's arm and signaled over to the shadow and the cooled sand. We got there in time before our skin started to bubble, and I nearly kissed the sand at how cool it was. For now this will be our sanctuary.<p>

I flopped on my back, breathing heavily with my mouth, with my eyes closed because the brightness of the white sand was hurting my eyes. Before I could say anything, or get a grip on where we were, because it was obviously not our backyard, Lake exclaimed.

"Holy shit! It worked!" I felt him get on his feet, struggling a bit to even stand up on the sand.

"Lake, that's-" I started to get onto my elbows and finally opened my eyes. We were on a beach, the smell of salt water was more noticeable now that my lungs were filled with its air, and there was sand and trees as far as the eye can see. No buildings, no polluted airs, no motorboats, or docks, or the CN Tower in the distance. There was no fresh water, or people, and the sand was never this clean. We were defiantely not in Toronto anymore, but I just refused to believe that it actually worked...that it actually took us to Ancient Greece, and not the normal kind, but the one where Mythical creatures existed, the one that I could only read it about, or watched in Disney...

I remembered then, being sucked into a vacuum, being pulled and stretched for miles, and not being able to speak, or breathe, or hear, or smile. Was it really just death, and this was the shore of Heaven? Or Hell?

Lake was screaming with success, rolling his fingers in the cool sand, and left the shade to marvel at the clean surroundings of Ancient times. I was left on the floor, eyes wide, trying to accept the fact that either I was dead, or my brother's invention really worked. I pinched myself to see if I was sleeping, but the pain was real, the smells were real, the air was real, and the sights...well, they were not a hallucination if Lake saw them too.

"I can't believe...it actually worked," I whispered to myself, as I got onto my knees.

"Haha! I did it! I did! it! Jason Kim can kiss my ass!" Lake was dancing around, his mop of dark brown - almost black - hair flying in the wind. Suddenly he turned, and his smile broaden even wider, if that was even possible. He was looking at something over head, and then pointed at it, "Look, Demi!"

I struggled to get on my feet, because my knees were wobbly from nearly fainting, and being caught off by the weight on my waist from the sword. I trudged through the sand, ignoring the tiny burns it gave me when it seeped into my sandals, and then followed Lake's finger.

What I saw was a massive man. A statue of a man. However it was no man, but a God, wielding a bolt of lightening. It was the single most largest statue I've ever seen, and it was also what was casting the shadow we were previously laying in. We were under the Statue of Zeus. And I recognized it. Not from stories, not from pictures. In fact, this statue isn't even supposed to exist. At least, there was no evidence of it, even if his feet were left when...

Oh God. I turned to Lake, "What did you put in the smaller platform? Was it a book?"

"Uh, no a movie," he looked at me for a brief second, and then back to marveling at the statue. "Clash of the Titans, I think."

My eyes widened, and I gripped the laces of the top of his breast plate and pulled him to face me, "Which one?"

His green were wide and frightened, "Uh, the one with the guy from Avatar. Why?"

I dropped his breast plate and extended my fingers as if about to choke him, "Why...Why...Why did you use the movie?"

He shrugged, "What's the difference? It's the same story isn't it? I couldn't find the old movie, and the book was still on back order."

That's when I let it out. I started screaming in frustration. I wasn't one to hold in my anger, part of the reason why red is my colour. Speaking of colour, I had a colourful vocabulary as I yelled at Lake of his stupidity. And I had every right to. He pulled me through a Wormhole, into Ancient Greece, for his homework assignment, and it's not even the right story. And worst of it is that not only was this movie a bad one, but we were stuck here for a month. Longer than the duration in which Perseus had to stop the Kraken. All because Lake refused to read the book.

"Demi! Demi, calm down!" Lake held down my arms from swinging at him and captured my eyes to his. "Listen. I'm sorry. I didn't know. I didn't have time to watch it, cause I just got it this morning...I'm sorry. But it's too late right now, we have to stay here for a month."

"I hate you so much right now," I growled, having half a mind to jab him with my new sword.

"I know, I know," he grinned charmingly, being very calm for someone who made a huge error in detail. He dropped his hands from my arms and then grew serious, "So, have you seen the movie?"

"Of course I've seen it. It's completely different to the original story."

"In what way?"

"In almost every way, that's why no one liked it. The only reason why I watched it, is because Ralph Fiennes is in it."

Lake grinned, and lifted his arms up, "Well, that's good isn't it? You know what's going to happen, and you're going to meet Ralph Fiennes."

I paused from yelling at him again, and looked with curiosity, "What do you mean?"

"Well," he ran his fingers through his dark locks, "The platform copies the images - or words if a book - and rewrites them to the Wormhole. In other words, we are actually in the movie, all actors remain the same. The only thing that may happen are change of dialogue, events, and even relationships."

"Why is that?" I asked, walking over to the duffle bag that was left in the shadow.

"Because we're in here of course. We don't know if we will change the story, and how. And since this is a movie, we don't have to be walking with caution... The Butterfly Effect has no effect here."

I sat on a rock on where the sand met the cliffs and trees and crossed my legs, "So, let's say if I were to kill the Princess here, it wouldn't effect how the story is told?"

"No, it would only effect the DVD I bought. When we return, our characters would be included in the movie, but only in that one copy. Did you say princess?"

I ignored his question as now I had a smug smile on my face, "Interesting..." Yes, I had plans...Not straight forward plans, mind you, but ideas of plans. Perhaps I could get a kick at changing the destiny for some people. Like actually killing Andromeda. I didn't care for her in this movie...she gave off that Teenage personality, that her morals and actions were far more superior than anyone elses, just because she has a soft heart and goes around giving bread to people. Kraken's gotta eat, doesn't he?

The sun was starting to set, which meant that Argos' Army wasn't to attend this day, giving us some time to adjust. So we decided to get onto higher grounds before they do attack and we could avoid the Harpies by staying hidden. There was a cave on the side of the cliff nearest to the Statue, but still on the edge of the beach so it wasn't hard to get to. From there we would have a perfect view of the fall of the Statue, and the rise of the Harpies and Hades, and most likely, Perseus and his family.

Before we ate, I attempted at refreshing Lake's basic idea of fencing. It was difficult even for me, because the swords I had used in Fencing were much lighter and flexible. These swords were heavy, rigid, making hard to balance yourself with it. He did a decent job, actually, but after twenty minutes he got tired. So I let him rest, and build us a fire and cook our canned soup, while I tried to get used to the weight change in my sword arm. The Bow wouldn't be too hard, the only difference was that I no longer had a wrist guard, and anything but my fingers to support the arrow.

The soup was finished cooking, it didn't take long and we shared the can with two spoons, because he failed to bring plates. We had bread with the soup too, to fill our stomach's for the next day's events. While we were talking, we heard a rumble of thunder outside, so we sank into the cave a little more to avoid any rogue lightening bolts. While we ate we discussed our back story, and our names. Our story was simple, travelers from a small nameless island off the coast of Sparta and Crete. Our vegetation was dying from lack of rain, and so our family set sail. During our sail to Argos, a storm had hit our boat and killed our family, and we managed to drift back to shore. For our names, Lake tried to convince me to call me some difficult greek name, but I told him no, I wanted a simple name, something short and easy to say - so I decided to call myself Kore. Though we debated quite a lot on what Lake's name should be. We decided on Arion, since it was simple, easy to pronounce and remember.

We also concluded, since we were in the movie, there was no need for the earpieces. However they were still good if we were separated, so we put them in the pouches in our belt for safe keeping.

Eventually we fell asleep on the uncomfortable floor, listening to the harsh rain and the angry crashes of thunder that was probably the wrath of Zeus himself. All I thought was maybe if I fell asleep here, I would wake up home, in my bed, wearing my Cherry pajamas, but images of the movie floated between my thoughts too, and I kept on straying to the scenes of what was going to happen, and what if we did change the course of the story. That would mean that I wouldn't be able to predict what was going to happen. Before I fell asleep, all I could play over in my head was Zeus, Hades, the Kraken, and Perseus, over and over again, until I dreamt about being an Amazon Princess, that went to Earth and joined a team called The Justice League. Oh wait...

I woke up early the next day, Lake was still passed out. I just couldn't sleep anymore... I must have only six hours of sleep, because when I went to the mouth of the cave, and sat down on its edge, with my feet dangling, the sun was barely peaking over the horizon. I didn't know the exact time in which Argos' Army came, but I didn't want to be in the middle of it. While I waited for Lake to wake up, I ate some dry cheerios, and took my hair out of its pony tail, and got to work on something more Greek appropriate.

I kept my bangs in place, seeing as I never liked my forehead, and left the two strands to frame my face. Since it was difficult to braid my hair without the help of a second person, I managed to do one small one to be wrapped around my head (vertically, so it was behind my ears), and one large one that was made to be on the side, so it rested on my left shoulder. It didn't really matter how appropriate my style was at this point, with my died hair, they would automatically assume that I wasn't human, or I was blessed by the Gods. It was just too red to be natural; my brother was smart not to mess with his normal brown hair. By the time I was finished, the sun was above the waters, and I can see as far as the horizon could take me.

That's when I saw it. A small boat, a fishing boat at that. It was time.

I woke Lake up and told him to get ready, because it was about to start. We packed the food and pillows and blankets that he had brought in a battery operating vacuum bag, and went to sit on the edge of the cave. I watched as the boat drew nearer, and knew that Perseus would be on that boat. After half an hour, we heard the sounds of many feet marching above us, and chants of men. We watched as they strapped Zeus' legs with rope and wood, and hammered away at his ankles.

As the boat drew nearer, the knot in my stomach grew tighter with anticipation. It wasn't like I enjoyed people dying, but the fact that I was in the movie, and I watching it unfold without 3D glasses, made it all the more exciting and frightful.

We heard a crack, and crumbles and we both knew that Argos' Army had successfully broken the Statue's heels. Lake's hand reached mine and he held it in a vice grip, watching the enormous body of stone crash into the water, causing a large splash to hit the small fishing boat.

"Okay, listen, Lake, this is when the Harpies come, be silent-" but he took off, too excited to even think logically. He shot down the pathway to the beach and right under the chaos. He cheered along with the victorious army, forcing me to follow him in hopes I can drag him into a corner. But by the time my feet jumped from rock to sand, the clouds began to gather up in greys and blacks until the sun was out of sight. The sea began to bubble, and soon after massive flying bat-like things shot from inside and started to attack all the soldiers.

"Lake, down!" I pulled him down into the sand and behind the rock when I saw one swoop closer.

Lake poked his head out from being buried in the sand, and his eyes widened, "Demi, look!" he pointed over to the sky. I moved my eyes to where he was pointing, and my mouth closed to tighten my jaw. The harpies smacked into each other one by one, forming a ball of black leathery wings. They spun around in smoke, ash, and amber until a single entity was in the sky with wings made out of black smoke, and eyes so icy that the colour could be notice from down here. It was Hades.

The screams of fright had increased, and Lake's grip on my arm tightened. But I was the only person to look up at the god in awe and admiration. It might have been because his face held the same resemblance of Ralph Fiennes in the movie, but there was just something about him that made him beautiful. So beautiful that it fogged up my mind, and I got up and crawled on the rock to get a better look at him.

He turned to the seas, and saw the fishing boat and didn't hesitate to shoot a ball of ash and fire at it. The boat broke in half, and flipped over the hull, taking down the family with it. But my eyes were no where near the boat, they were still stuck on Hades. And for a moment, just a moment, he turned in my direction and his eyes met my own. I tried not to blink, but I did, and he vanished.

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><p><strong>Well! I hope you enjoyed it. I put A LOT of foreshadowing, and if you know your Greek Mythology, it would probably be obvious to you what I plan to do with Demi and Lake. <strong>

**Happy Readings xoxox**

**qtj**


	3. Saviours

**_Just Read The Book_**

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><p><strong>Thanks for all the reviewsfaves/alerts! Sorry this is a bit late, but August has been hella busy for me. **

**But, I hope you like this chapter... It gets more into the movie.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER THREE.<br>**_Saviours _

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><p>When the god had disappeared, that was when I was aware of the absence of my brother I looked up and saw him running to the water.<p>

"Lake!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, "What are you doing!"

"They're drowning! He can't die!"

Of course he can't die, why would he think Perseus was going to? That would have been an early ending. I ran to the edge of the beach, but I was too late, he had passed the shallows and began to swim where the there was a single piece of drift wood from the hull of the boat. I watched as my brother dove down, and all I could do was wait, clutching his sword in anticipation.

I was more worried than I needed to be. I knew for a fact that Lake was one of the best and fastest swimmers I've ever met. He could hold his breath for almost five minutes.

Five minutes passed and I my patience had worn thin. I was about to dive in the water after them, but I heard a splash and a gasp of water as two heads popped out of the water and climbed onto the drift wood. "Oh, thank the gods," I said without realizing my choice of words. From the distance, I could hear Perseus scream out in agony at the death of his parents and little sister, and I wanted to weep with him, but I was hardly heartbroken when I watched the movie, and I wasn't going to be now, no matter how real this was.

But I knew what I had to do. The Army wouldn't notice me or my brother and Perseus if something didn't catch their attention. From my pouch I pulled out the box of matches, and then got a branch full of leaves, and lit it on fire. I walked farther up the beach, hoping that the bright flames were noticed against the grey and blue atmosphere. The branch was fully lit, so I waved it in the air, and started shouting.

"HEY! HELLO! OVER HERE! HI!" I succesffully caught the attention of one solider, who called upon another. They started to climb down the cliff but before they could get a close enough distance to me, I began pointing to the water.

"My brother went to save a man in the water! They're floating on a piece of wood just there!" They followed my direction just in time to see my brother waving his arms in the air. Perseus looked to be passed out beside him.

"Come with us, maiden. We will bring you, your brother, and the stranger to safety," called the solider.

"Thank you, sir," I called out, trying to keep tabs on my words. I didn't feel like explaining a slang word that they weren't used to. I picked up the bag, and Lake's quiver and belt with his sword, and walked over to the awaiting soldier. It must be dark enough to hide the brightness of my hair, because he didn't take notice in it.

"Here, let me take those from you," He offered a hand, and I gave him Lake's Quiver and belt, but kept the bag with me at all costs. "May I ask of your name, Maiden?"

"Kore," I answered, "Daughter of... Orpheus." I made up, we hadn't discussed our family's name. "And that's my brother, Arion."

He walked towards the rest of the soldiers, and led me to where they had docked their ships, which was behind the cliff that once held the Statue of Zeus. "Kore, Daughter of Orpheus, your brother must be very brave to swim in open waters to save a stranger."

"More like mad," I commented, watching my brother from afar as he waited for the ships to rescue him and Perseus. I gave him a thumbs up to tell him that he would be okay.

The soldier laughed at my comment, "Yes, that too."

There was a beat of silence as I examined his face secretly. He was a random, it seemed, young, probably in his 20s, but he wasn't at all noticed in the movie, "Sir, might I ask the name of our rescuer?"

He turned to me, his tired expression turn into that of a charming grin, "Akakios ," he answered, "Proud Soldier of Argos' Army. And what is your story, Kore? What were you and your brother doing at the banks of the southern beach?"

I sighed, pretending it was a long story, "My family was sailing not too long ago when a storm hit, and killed my mother and father, and two younger brothers. Arion and I drifted onto shore, and have been here ever since, we only had comfort under Zeus' Statue, but it seems that you've taken away that comfort, Akakios of Argos."

Akakios stopped walking to look at me, his charming smile gone, replaced with seriousness, "My apologizes, Kore, about your family, but we are at war. War with the Gods... It is time to show them how strong men can really be."

"You do not fear their wrath?" I asked with general curiosity.

He was silent for a moment before continuing walking, "You cannot let fear hold you back."

He had a point. It was amazing how brave men could be, even in the face of gods. So I decided not to say anything further as we neared the boat with the few soldiers that survived. All I could think about was how above my head, on Mount Olympus, the Olympians were having an argument about what to do with us mortals. I wondered briefly if they knew two people that never existed were now on their Earth, and if they did, were we worthy enough to be concerned about? I then remembered the way Hades looked at me... It had only been for a second, but it felt like forever... the look he gave me was strange. I don't know how to call it...

We gathered on the boat and drifted to where my brother and Perseus lay, and pulled them both onto the safety of the boat. Akakios had asked what the name of the stranger was, but the two of us had to remain oblivious to his name. By now the clouds had dispersed, and the sun peaked through. I had forgotten why that would be a problem, but the look on Lake's face told me it was.

"What is it?" I asked from my spot on the floor, sitting next to the unconscious Perseus.

He opened his mouth, but another soldier, an older one, saw me first, "By gods!" He exclaimed. Everyone turned to see what he was referring, and suddenly the whole boat was looking at me.

"I'm sorry?" Lake came too me and whispered what it was in my ear. "Oh...Oh. _Ohhh._"

"Your hair...It's as red as wine," A younger soldier pointed out.

"Not wine, boy- blood," said the older one from before said. He marched over to me and pulled me up by my braid. Instinctively my hands flew up to his in attempts to pry off his fingers, while Lake shouted to let me down. "Who are you?" He demanded.

In attempt to pretend to be a damsel in distress, my eyes flew to the only soldier I knew by name, "Akakios ..."

"Ikaros, put her down, she's done nothing wrong," my savior pleaded from behind Ikaros's shoulder. The older man in question looked skeptical, and still had my hair in a vice grip. "Her hair looks like it's been dyed by blood... She could be a follower of Hades. She could be a bastard child of Ares."

"No look," the younger soldier from earlier pointed at the buckle that held my toga in place, "It's a lion. She's a follower of Demeter."

Ikaros moved his eyes from mine, and looked down at the bronze clasp, and then returned his eyes on me, "Are you?"

I winced when he tightened his fingers around my hair, "Yes..."

There was a moment before he decided to let me go, and my brother was there to gather me in his arms. I rubbed my head from where the hair was pulled, and glared at the man, trying to contain my anger. Akakios went to Ikaros and began to explain the story I've told them. The younger soldier, the one who saved my ass, came to me and my brother and got onto one knee.

"Are you fine, Maiden?" He asked.

"As a forest fire," I replied, and quickly realized that my sarcasm went passed his head.

Lake changed the subject by thanking him, "Thank you, soldier. This is my sister, Kore, and I'm Arion..."

"Son of Orpheus," I finished for him.

"Yeah, that."

The soldier looked between the two of us curiously, and then gave a friendly chuckle, before answering, "My name is Doros. May I ask where you've come from?"

I straightened myself up, and sat cross legged on the floor, "a small unnamed island off the coast between Sparta and Crete. Our harvest began to die, making our family leave."

"A storm took them," Lake finished for me. "We've drifted onto this beach."

"My condolences. Where were you headed?" He asked, his face etched with sympathy.

"Argos," I answered this time, knowing my brother probably only knew two or three states, only because he played God of War. I gave a small smile before adding, "I suppose fate needed us in Argos, as we are now on a boat with her soldiers."

Doros laughed, "I suppose so. I will make sure that Argos will welcome you with warmth."

"Thank you, sir," I smiled, and he left us.

Once we were alone, I looked at Lake, "You're crazy, you know? Jumping in the water after them."

He ran a hand through his hair, "I got caught up, I suppose. His family died. I couldn't save them." He looked down, his usual lively self died down.

I rubbed his shoulders, "I'm sorry, but that's how it happened."

"I guess I thought I could change it," he shrugged.

I rubbed his arm, and rested my head on his shoulder.

Two hours went by quite quickly, we were fed stale bread while we listened to the sounds of waves and people talking. Apparently there were more boats, but as we drifted to Argos, there were no signs of them. After the fourth hour rolled on by, Perseus began to stir.

"Arion, quick, get me water," I said, pulling Perseus onto my lap so his head was levitated. I tapped his cheek, hoping to snap him out of his daze.

Lake got out the pouch of water we had, and brought it to the wakening demi-god's mouth, where he was eager to accept it. His throat must have been so dry, as were his lips, seeing as he had been laying on his back in the heat of the sun. He coughed, but was glad to accept more water.

Once Perseus regained some of his strength, he pushed himself off my lap and managed to sit down against the side of the ship. I lifted my hand and felt his forehead, his eyes fluttered, being only half closed to sheild himself from the sun.

"You're hot, you should sit in the shade," with the help of Lake, we moved him under the shade of the mast, and gave him more water, and then splashing some on his forehead.

"Where am I?" He asked, his mind drowsy.

"On a ship headed to Argos," I replied. His eyes opened a bit more, and the first thing he saw was Lake.

"You're the one that tried to help my family," he pointed it out. "Thank you."

Lake gave a small sad smile, "I wish I could've helped more."

"It wasn't your fault," his head lollled to his side, "It was the god's."

Me and Lake turned to each other, and decided to get his mind off his family, if only for a little while. "I'm Arion, and this is my sister Kore."

"Perseus," he answered, now moving his eyes to me as if he didn't realize I was here. He stopped as he too had caught sight of my hair.

I sighed, already tired of this, "I assure it is nothing I inherited, or caught, from anything divine."

"Forgive me for staring, I just never seen someone with such a colour," he replied, eyes still roaming it.

"You are not the only one," I sighed, then asked, "Are you hungry?"

It took all morning and afternoon to get to our destination, the sun was hidden behind the cliffs of Argos as we approached the gates. The ship docked, and Perseus, Lake, and I were escorted through the city. We were told to stay together, but the loss of his family was so fresh in his memory that Perseus separated himself from the two of us to sit down while the soldiers gathered and discussed what just happened.

Me and my brother were left on the side lines, away form ears, but were being stared at by the civilians. "What's going to happen now?" He asked in a tone that I would only hear.

"We will see the king to tell them about their victory, and the loss of lives today. Then-"

I was interrupted by Akakios who approached us, "You two should stay close. There are many here that will mistake you, Kore, to be part divine. King Kepheus will be eager to meet you and your... uniqueness."

My face fell from the implications that Akakios was hinting to, "Well you can tell your king that I intend on staying a maiden until marriage."

He laughed, "Becareful, Kore. For he may even take you on that offer, and consider a second wife."

I groaned, "Zeus help me."

We were about to leave to the castle after it was confirmed that our ship was the only one that returned. I looked over my shoulder to make sure that Perseus was coming, but he had to be nudged roughly to follow them.

"Tell them to be kind to him," I asked Akakios . "He just lost his family."

Akakios looked at me, and then back at the stranger, "Enough, Agathon." He called to the soldier, who gave him a look before grunting and walking away.

We marched towards the gates to the castle, walking passed hungry children, and thin mothers who cannot even produce milk. There was a preacher there, begging everyone to pray to the gods and beg for their forgiveness, but he was ignored and pushed into some hay. That didn't stop him from talking. When we walked passed him, Akakios made a purpose to block me from him, least he attract more attention towards me.

The castle was large, crawling up the mountains of Argos, with thick white pillars holding onto roofs and stone. People parted to make way for their heroes, the defiers of the gods, who all held a straight face, no one to dare shed a tear for their lost men. We were led into the castle, inside the Throne Room where dancers and handmaidens were all over the place. Music was in the background, and mirth was all around. At the sight of his soldiers the King stood up, a moment of disappointment flashed in his eyes when he was told that was all that was left of his men, but his eyes gleamed more when he was told that they walked away victorious.

A man stood in the crowd, holding up his golden goblet, and began a toast, "To King Kepheus! To Queen Cassiopeia!" Everyone turned to their rulers and raised their goblets to them, but Kepheus raised his own hand in a modest gesture of silence.

"No," he said, standing up from his throne and motioned to what was left of Argos' soldiers, "To you. Our mighty legion, our heroes who have dared to strike a blow at the heart of Zeus!" With his goblet risen high, a bigger cheer followed him.

Lake and I stood between a soldier and Akakios , while Perseus stood in front of us, his face defeated, looking down with modesty and shame for not rescuing his parents. Out of instinct, like a sister to a brother, I placed a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to me his face not changing.

The king continued, "The temples are burning, the statues have fallen!" By now the queen and the princess stood from their own thrones, and descended down the stairs behind Kepheus. "We have starved them of our prayers! Tonight, after a generation of struggle, the sun does not set over the ocean, the sun sets on Olympus itself! A new era has begun. The Era of Man!" Everyone cheered, but it seemed the only people truly upset about this was the princess, Perseus, and the two of us.

"That's the princess?" Lake asked me next to my ear, I could only nod as I watched Cassiopeia ask her daughter to take a drink to make her more lively.

Andromeda took the goblet from her mother, but not with a tilt of her head in disapproval, and walked her way across the hall and towards Perseus like expected.

"She's hot," Lake said again before she was near to us. I had to withstand from rolling my eyes.

The princess made a beeline towards Perseus, not bothering to see there are two other non-soldiers in the crowd. After asking his name, she offered him her mother's drink, to which he took reluctantly. However, before he could even lift it to his lips, a man with a braided pony tail and grey hair highlighting his black maine, came and slapped Perseus.

"Enough!" Called the princess

"Our daughter," the King but in, drink still in hand, "The missionary."

"What is wrong with helping people?" Came a voice that was defiantly not in the movie. I turned my head slowly to Lake, giving him a wide eyed what-the-fuck-are-you-doing look. The soldiers parted to show who had spoke, and all eyes were on my very small in muscled brother.

The King walked down a few steps of stairs to get a closer look at the man who dared talk back to the King, "And who are you, child?"

Lake stepped out of the crowd, and people started to chuckle at my brother, how small he was, how insignificant he was. "My name is Arion, son of Orpheus," he answered, not bothering to acknowledge the amusement everyone had.

"I do not believe that I've seen you, boy. And I am sure I would not have allowed you to be in my army, you would slow them down!" He laughed, which was followed by many others.

"I am not part of your army, My Lord," Arion went on ignoring everyone else. "Me and my sister were stranded on a beach after a storm killed our family, where your men rescued us."

"Sister?" He asked, his curiosity peaked.

"Yes," Lake's eyebrows rose and that boyish smile appeared comfortably on his face. I was just about to hide myself behind Akakios when I felt my brother grab my arm and pulled me into view. "My sister, Kore."

As soon as he pulled me into view, the King was speechless. The entire room was speechless.

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><p><strong>Well, hope it was worth the wait. I'll eventually post the pictures of what Demi and Lake look like. If I ever do finish this story, there will be a sequel, but the idea I'm going with is that you don't need to read the first story to understand the sequel. I just don't want to give anything away, so I'm being vague, haha. <strong>

**Happy readings xoxox**

**qtj**


	4. The Demi God

_**Just Read The Book**_

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><p><strong>I'm an idiot. I put both chapter three and chapter four in the same chapter. Le sigh. I thought it looked too long. Don't worry, I'll post chapter five today. This is just so my OCD doesn't eat me alive. <strong>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FOUR.<strong>  
><em>The Demi God <em>

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><p>"Demi God!" Someone shouted from the crowd, cutting the silence. Oh here we go, I glared at my brother as the man with the salt and pepper hair grabbed me, and held my arms behind my back. There was uproar, people yelling things like "Spy!" or "Damned bastard!" or "Hair of blood!" and some other creative ones.<p>

Akakios stepped out of the crowd and looked at his king, "Please, my lord! She is not a Demi God!"

"Oh, then what is she?" The Queen asked, motioning over to the me. "I've never in my life seen hair as red as that, it shines under the firelight. She must be a whore of Ares!" There was uproar again, shouts about getting me killed in order to piss off the gods.

I turned to Lake hissed, "This is your fault!"

"Well, you shouldn't have done your hair before we left!" he hissed back, but still looking guilty.

But out of all the people to save me, it was the princess, who had asked the man to let me go. He did, reluctantly, and I fell onto my knees with her arms wrapped around my shoulders. At this moment, I kinda didn't want to kill the princess anymore. I know I said I didn't like her, but I did owe her my life now. Oh, the irony.

"Do you see what's happening?" She turned to her father, her brows upturned in sorrow. "What's happening here, or out there? Have you even bothered to look?"

"We serve an inspiration," The queen began, extending her arms.

Andromeda got up from the floor and walked towards her mother, "Hundreds of our men have lost their lives today, yet we celebrate. You are provoking the gods, and you act as though there will be no consequence."

The soldier that held me followed his princess as she advanced towards her mother, as well as a small crowd behind him. Lake helped me up onto my feet as we walked around them to see the ordeal better.

"What will you have me do?" asked the Queen, and continued in a mocking tone, "Should we be afraid? Should we be trembling and soiling ourselves in fear? The gods needs us, they need our worship. What do we need of them?" She looked around the room, and then extended her arm towards Andromeda, "Look at my daughter."

"Don't," she pleaded, shaking her head.

Her mother ignored her and continued, "What could be more divine than her face? More beautiful than all the women in Greece? More beautiful than Aphrodite herself! The Olympians should envy her. We are the gods now!"

Her speech was ended when her husband came to her side and took her arm, and whispered to her ear, likely telling her to shut the fuck up. I, too, was getting tired of her voice. Fortunately, her life would end all too soon.

In fact, a sound made everyone quiet, a sound of otherworldly origins. Everyone looked around, trying to pin point where the echo was coming from, but it didn't take long. Snakes of black smoke slithered around the room, making everyone gasp and shrink to the walls as it all gathered into one above the sacred waters before the thrones. the winds picked up, and inside the ash you can see ambers of fire, and the earth began to shake. The soldiers pulled out their spears and swords, ready to strike at what ever deity showed itself.

The smoke and fire twisted into a funnel, a small tornado, and began to suck in soldiers with weak footing. Perseus, Lake and I began to back up trying to find safety behind something that would shield us from violent winds. But before we could reach a pillar of any kind, we had noticed that the winds weren't stealing people at random, they were stealing soldiers.

Shields and swords were sucked into the black smoke, and when I noticed that the crowd of soldiers were thinning, I saw Akakios, Doros, and even Ikaros being sucked in as well. I yelled, and tried to catch their outstretched arms, but Perseus held me back. They may have not been mentioned in the film, but they were kind to us. Well, perhaps not Ikaros.

The inferno left only the three of us standing on an empty space as it twisted and turned, making sounds of crushing metal and bones. I shut my eyes tightly, picturing my friends being torn and crushed into pieces in there. Soon as those morbid sounds died down, the smoke and amber began to open up, like a cloak to reveal the man we all witness kill hundreds of people with only a motion of his hand.

Hades appeared, as glorious as I've seen him before. I've only seen him far away, but even closer her was so much more beautiful, so much more haunting.

He looked between the three of us, and with the tilt of his head, he murmured, "Interesting..."

Hades' face set Perseus off almost immediately, and with a battle cry he charged at him. It was only for a split second did I remember what happened here. I grabbed the scruff of Lake's shirt and pulled him away as Hades opened his cape and let loose the shields, spears, and swords that he had devoured earlier free to attack Perseus. It pushed him against the pillars while the rest attacked the crowd.

With one last look in my direction, Hades turned around and floated towards the shocked Queen. I watched him move, like the smoke that he emitted, so graceful and so silent.

Lake ran to Perseus' side first, and then I followed, making sure if he was okay. As my brother tended to him, I got back up and turned around to watch the god float to the steps of the thrones, his cape becoming more cloth than smoke. The way he stood was almost hunched, as if he had spent his entire life lifting the weight of the earth on his shoulders. It was such a sad sight to see; a god looking so broken like the way he was.

Cassiopeia and Kepheus backed away, trying to keep a good distance between them and the God of the Underworld.

Hades looked around the room, his brows down in contentment as he spoke, "You are specs of dust beneath our fingernails. Your very breath is a gift from Olympus," he turned to the Queen and stepped towards her. "You have insulted powers beyond your comprehension."

"Who are you?" the Queen dared to ask, trying to hide her fear in her face.

Hades looked upon her with the same look of contemptment as he gazed at everyone else, and his answer flew from his lips like a hoarse whisper, but everyone had heard him say it, "I am Hades."

The queen no longer looked smug, her eyes widening and her lip falling.

With a simple gesture with his hand, the god commanded them to kneel, and they did, as did everyone else. Except for Perseus who was on his hands and knees struggling to get up, but seeing a sword next to him gave him all the motivation he needed to fight against the sores in his muscles.

But I wasn't watching Perseus... I wasn't watching the first appearance of Io as she advised him not to do anything, that he would have his chance. My eyes were glued on the back of the Underworldly god, and how I envied the Queen to be at the other end of his touch.

"What do you know of beauty?" He asked her. "What is more beautiful than death?" Hades tilted her head up with his blackened hand, "gaze upon me, mortal queen." That would be the last thing she would see as he pulled away.

Her youthful skin began to burn and age with wrinkles, and her black hair whitened. Her voice began croaks as her breath began to become short and dry. Andromeda shouted for her mother and attempted to run at her side, but with a gentle gust of wind Hades easily stopped her.

"In ten days," he began again in his raspy dry voice. "When the sun is eclipsed, I will unleash the Kraken."

There were chains of gasps and murmurs, and Lake came to my side and to my ear, "that thing from Pirates of the Caribbean?"

For the first time since Hades arived, I looked away from him just so I can give my brother the cut eye. "Shh, he's talking"

"Oh yeah, don't want to disturb you from him ear-fucking you with his smoker's voice," I jabbed him with my elbow and covered his mouth with my hand.

"Argos will be swept from the earth and all of you with it," Hades continued eyes roaming around the frightened mortals until it landed at Andromeda. "Unless you sacrifice the princess you so foolishly compared the gods. Only her blood will sink the Kraken and Zeus," he turned to the King of Argos, "Who you have so offended."

Hades rose in the air and began to advice Argos to choose wisely, destruction or sacrifice. He turned his body to the doors of the Throne Room where Lake and I stood next to Perseus. "This is the will of Zeus," he pointed at Perseus, and then at... me? "The will of your father," then Hades turned to Lake who's eyes widened like saucers, "And with the encouragement of Poseidon, your father."

And with a twist of black and grey, he was gone. It was when the room cleared of ash that I realized what he said. "Did he just say my dad was Zeus?" I looked over at Lake and Perseus.

"I'm still trying to get over the fact that I'm what Rick Riordan was writing about," Lake answered.

It didn't take long for the entire room to go crazy. There were shouts and cries of horror, but worst of all, what was left of Argos' army that hadn't went off to destroy Zeus' statue was on us like bugs on a corpse. We were taken, disarmed, and our personal effects were taken away from us. The man with the salt and pepper hair was the leader of our integration mob. He took Perseus while two others questioned me and Lake.

"Who are you?" They would demand, and we would only give the answer we've been telling everyone else. We are Kore and Arion, our family was killed during a storm, and we washed up on shore. We also tried to explain that we had no idea what Hades was talking about when he said that Zeus and Poseidon were our fathers, how could that be if we were siblings... We couldn't he half siblings. Could we? No. Of course not. We don't even belong here.

At one point one of the soldiers grabbed my hair and tugged it, trying to see if it were real. My anger finally couldn't be controlled, and I really hated being the innocent damsel. I punched him hard in the jaw, which didn't end in my favor as someone slapped me with an armoured hand, sending me onto the ground. Lake, bless his heart, tried to defend me, but he was so easily pushed down.

But Perseus was getting it hard from Salt and Pepper, he tortured him the most, probably because he was able to take it more. Though Perseus was just as oblivious as we were, and before he could shove the demi god's head in the fire where they forge their swords, the king bounded down the stairs and shouted, "Draco!"

Salt and Pepper, now identified as Draco, forced himself to pull Perseus away from the hot flames and they all turned to their king. "Leave them," Kepheus demanded, though his voice sounded short of breath as if he had been running all around the castle.

They pushed us together with Perseus, the rightful demi god, and Kepheus approached us with a look of hope, "Is it true, that you are the children of gods?"

We looked at each other, all our faces bruised, dirty, and sweaty from being tossed around like rag dolls. Do we look like half-gods? But we couldn't say anything, because the look on the king's face was pleading, especially when he asked us to save them.

"I can't save you, I'm just a man," Perseus replied in a soft winded voice. "Maybe they can..."

"No, Perseus, no," I turned to him and held his face in my hands. "You are not just a man, and I won't do it without you." I lowered my voice so only he could hear, "If it is true that your are the son of Zeus, and I his daughter, that would make you my brother, and I always stick by family."

A priest interrupted us as he said that sacrifice was the only way, but the King would have none of that.

"He's right," Andromeda appeared out of no where. "No one should have to die for me." She turned to the three of us with pity, "Let them go."

Perseus looked up from the ground, but not to the princess or the king but my eyes. I held his gaze as Draco said that they needed to hide the princess. With a clutch of his jaw, Perseus finally spoke, "You cannot hide from Hades."

"So says the bastard son of a god," the priest commented, which resulted in six eyes turning to him in a glare that would even frighten the Evil Eye.

"My father was killed by a god," Perseus stepped foreword his eyes now gleaming with hate, but still laced with defeat. "My mother, sister. Everyone that I loved was killed by a god. I mend nets, not wield a sword."

I sighed when he walked away. Guards took him and led him to the cellars, but Kepheus stopped them from taking me and Lake away.

"What of you? Will you help us?"

I sighed through my nose and looked at Lake. "Yes," he said for us. "But...we need Perseus."

"The boy does not wish to fight," Kepheus pointed out the obvious.

"Someone just needs to convince him and say the right words," I followed. "I don't know if I am a demi god, or my brother. I have my doubts, but when I look at Perseus, I can tell. We cannot do this without him."

"He's stubborn," Draco chipped in. "He will not come with us, and I see no point in convincing him. We can defeat the Kraken ourselves... I have faith in our army."

"As inspiring as your faith is, sir, I do not believe it's enough," I turned to the captain of the guard. "Hundreds of men were killed today just by the hands of Hades' minions, and more than a dozen just by being in the same room. We all witnessed only a fraction of the power he possesses; imagine what else he could do to stop us from killing the Kraken? Imagine the beast itself... we need all the help we can get, from both man, beast, and divine."

Lake came next to me to whisper in my ear, "If I hadn't known better, I would have guessed you were from here." I nudged him again to keep quiet. Instead he cleared his throat, "My sister is right, King Kepheus. We need to be patient."

"We have no time!" He exclaimed, "Ten days! Less than a fortnight we have until the Kraken comes and either destroys my city and people, or devours my daughter."

And just like a beacon of hope, small footsteps could be heard descending the stairs, and the familiar face of a beautiful, mystical woman appeared at the bottom: Io.

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><p><strong> See you soon. <strong>


	5. The Hero Should Never Peak

**_Just Read The Book_**

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><p><strong>Here you go, like I said, Chapter five. Sorry about the derp chapter when I posted two chapters in the same document. Well, you were a head the entire time, and I didn't even know it, hah. Glad that you guys are enjoying the story. I'll update chapter six eventually... I just want to finish up the chapter that's halfway done. I'm happy you all are enjoying this story!<strong>

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><p>CHAPTER FIVE.<br>The Hero Should Never Peak

Just like clock work, Io had convinced Perseus to help Argos. We were led to the Armoury where the rest of the legion was suited up for the journey. I went to Draco personally as Lake sat on a bench in the corner and was jotting notes in his notebook. I have no idea why, since this movie wasn't at all following the storyline.

"Captain," I said, calling to his attention. "My brother and I both had effects and weapons. Care to direct me to them?"

Draco looked at me for a second as he laced up his wrist armour, "You may be a daughter of Zeus, Kore, but you are still a young maiden. Can you even wield a sword, or work a bow?"

I shrugged, "I have no choice. Who else is going to protect my brother?"

"Hmm," he thought, and I concluded that was the closest thing I was going to get as a laugh from him. He called one of his men and asked for him to fetch me my effects, and he obeyed.

While I waited I sat beside Lake, "Why are you writing notes?"

"I'm trying to remember everyone's names. It's really hard to even pronounce these things," he sighed.

"What do you have so far?"

"Well that's Draco, because I remember it from Harry Potter," he pointed to the captain. "That guy over there praying is Eusebios."

"The cute one, yeah," I gave a small smile.

"...Sure. And that over there is Ixan. That's Solon, and I have no idea who that huge guy is, because when I asked him his name, he grunted. So, so now I'm just going to call him Gruntius."

The guard came back with our things and me and my brother began to get ready. Solon came after words while we were about to put on our belts and sheaths. In his arms he looked to have clothes and shields.

"Woman, it is your lucky day," he said as he shoved the clothes in my arms. "The princess had requested that you wear her grandmother's armour, given to her as a gift from the Amazons."

I furrowed my brow in confusion, "Why would she do that?"

"It's the only outfit that would fit a woman, and it's a gift. Accept it, don't question it," he put down the shields that were probably meant for both me and Lake. He then pulled out another breast plate, with scale leather, small, with lace at the sides, "Boy, this is for you. Only size that we have that could fit someone like you without pulling you down."

"Thanks..." he accepted it, and looked at the bodice.

Solon left with only one comment about spears and helmets, saying that we can have ours when we were ready. I looked down at my new outfit and almost started laughing, "I"m going to look like Xena."

It was difficult changing in general, since the weaponry was full of men, and as soon as I lifted up the outfit to see how it looked, everything with testicles turned to look at me with anticipation. Lake took notice and told me to go behind a column in which he hid me with his shield. As soon as Draco saw his men lose their focus, he barked at them to avert their eyes and mind their business.

I eventually managed to put on the outfit, which fit nicely. The skirt was short, but the boots that came with it hid most of my legs, and the breast plate itself wasn't that revealing. I could use more protection, but at least I looked bad ass. I had black and gold wrist armour, and two armoured bands on above my elbow. The entire outfit was made out of black leather and gold designs, even the boots had golden bullets and buttons to add to the design. In it I truly did feel like a warrior princess.

I still couldn't get over the uncanny resemblance it held to Xena.

Once I finished dressing, I sat down to lace up those boots, helped Lake with his own armour, and then we picked up our shields. I expected it to be fifty pouds made out of solid metal, but it wasn't. It was still heavy, at least twenty five pounds, but it wasn't like we couldn't get it off the ground.

The team was nearly finished packing and armouring themselves for the journey. Perseus went to a storage and pulled out the robotic owl that is smartly put in. If you never seen the original, this reference would go right passed your head, as it did with my brother.

The plan was to see the Graeae, or in the movie they're called "The Stygian Witches", as I quickly explained to my brother that they were three sisters, Archaic goddesses that share one eye and one tooth between them. From them we would get the information of how to defeat the Kraken, but in the original story Perseus simply asks them the location of Medusa.

"So, they're like those three women in Hercules, Disney?" He asked.

"No-...Yes, exactly like those three women in Disney," I sighed and followed the men out of the Weaponry.

When we walked through the city, people begged us to stay. They would grip our shoulders, hold our hands, asking us to stay and defend them. One actually took my hands and kissed them, "Pray to your father, Red One. Pray to him to stop the Kraken. Ask him to be merciful." I opened my mouth, but couldn't find the words, what do you say to the people that are begging you to save them? What do you say to the people that want your help, but you are not sure if you can?

Ixas pushed off the woman as we continued to walk. We were barely halfway out when people started to shout just sacrifice the princess, and Draco reacted quite sour about it. Perseus, being who he was picked up the man that Draco pushed into the ground.

"You would think they would be thankful," Ixas commented.

"They're afraid. The are afraid that we might fail, and in which case they beg for the closest salvation that was offered to them," I commented.

At that moment two men, hunters, with a foreign accent parted the crowd, "Good news! My brother and I have decided to accompany you on your journey."

We all looked at them skeptically, even I, since I knew that they played very little roles in the movie itself. It wouldn't make much of a difference if they didn't come.

"We have enough strangers here," Draco told them.

"We can come with great help to you, trust me," he told them. "You will need us."

"We need soldiers, not hunters."

The two hunters shook their heads in amusement, and began to walk towards us, and then asked us a series of questions in which to state his point. That his soldiers did not know how to kill mystical creatures. He walked up to Perseus and then asked, "Which one of them knows which jugular to slice on a five-headed Hydra?"

I rolled my eyes and answered at the same time as Ixas, "The middle one."

The hunter turned to us and nodded, "The middle one, yes, good guess." He nodded to his brother, "My brother and I know how to kill."

"We enjoy it," his brother added.

Draco, still skeptical and wanted this to end, picked up his shield, "If you can keep up and if you don't mind dying, you can come along."

"It is death who should be afraid of us."

We left the city, and climbed the cliffs, and over bare lands. It was hot, and dry, and Lake found himself tripping almost the entire way. His sword, helmet, and shield was holding him down, and often times I would have to pour water down his throat for him to be hydrated.

The day had passed and we were at the highest in the cliffs, so high that we were above the clouds, but not as far up as Olympus. The sun was about to set, making the clouds we could see over orange, pink and purple, and Lake, Perseus, and I all found ourselves just watching them roll by as the rest set up camp a few yards away.

"I've never seen anything like it," Perseus whispered.

"Imagine flying through that," Lake commented.

"Are you three just going to stand around and look pretty, or are you going to help out?" Solon called from the campsite.

The tents were small, not something that us city kids were used to. When ever we went camping it was in a cabin, so it was hardly that. The fur pelts hardly made the inside comfortable, but Lake fell asleep quite fast. We shared a tent, but he was spread out, but I didn't even bother to move him. Instead I joined the guards around the fire, sitting beside Perseus. Io was somewhere...she was always disappearing somewhere, keeping to herself.

"Kore," someone called, and I looked up to see Solon, "I am interested to know...How is that you have more strength than your brother?"

I scratched at my braid, feeling awkward about talking about my brother without him here, and like I've been doing all his life, I tried to talk about him with justice. "My father doesn't believe that men are stronger than women, so he had treated me like a son. Taught me Archery, swordplay, and how to defend my own honour. Arion, well, he was never one to fight. But he excels in other things. "

"Like what?" Ixas asked, with a hunting knife in his hand as he carved at a piece of wood. "Cooking, and mending clothing?"

"Swimming," Perseus interrupted the chuckles around the fire. "Arion dove into the water when my father's boat sunk, and tried to save my family. I have never seen a man swim that fast with no struggle."

I smiled at my supposed half-brother, and then added, "And a runner. He runs fast on land, without the weight you would barely see him run passed you."

"And what of you, girl?" Draco finally put in from the back. He was leaning against a tree trunk with his arms crossed. "How fair is your swordplay? Your archery and combat?"

"Fair, I suppose," I looked up to him. "Why?"

"You'll need to fight, and as does your brother," he straightened up and then called for Eusebios, the cute one. "Fight with her."

"Sir?" He looked up confused.

"I said fight her. Let's see how she can work a sword," Draco commanded, throwing Eusebios his sword.

"But, I cannot fight a maiden-" he was interrupted by his commander.

"Do as I say. Up."

The two of us stood up, and I pulled out my sword. The young guard looked nervous, probably from the thought of injuring me, or maybe because I was part god. Eusebios made a sad attempt at hitting my arm, but it was easily blocked. Draco sent him a glare, and he was forced to step it up a notch.

He did it step it up a notch, but not to the degree that I hoped he would. I was able to duck, and dodge, or counter all his hits. Draco rolled his eyes, "You have too much of a soft heart, Eusebios. Belo! Go fight the girl."

The large guard, the one that neared seven foot stood up, and I guess the mystery of his name was solved. He had a sick smirk on his face as he took Eusebios' place. Really Draco? You moved from kitten to shark pretty quickly, leaving no room for in-between.

Belo spent no hesitation in striking me, nearly nailing me in the stomach before I forced myself to flip back and kick him in the chin. Belo stumbled back taken off guard at the physical attack. He wasn't too pleased either, and lunged at me, and I had no choice but to block his attack, and try to get him as far away from me as possible. I kicked his gut, and when hunched down, kneed him in the chin. He growled and tried to swipe at my legs, but I jumped out of the way, onto his back, then jumped off of him in one swift moment, then stood behind him where I back kicked him into the dirt. I some how managed the whole ordeal without using my sword, which defeated the whole purpose of proving I can use it. But to be honest, Belo was all force and no skill, and Draco noticed that too.

"Enough," he bellowed and Belo stepped away as his commander stepped in.

And the real test began. It was then how I realized how different fencing was to Ancient Greek swordplay. While fencing was an art of sorts, having much to do with footwork and calculating your opponents moves, and overall gracefulness, swordplay was much more rough, harder, and forceful. There was more weight balance that needed to be fixed, and often times I found myself needed to use both my arms just to take Draco's blow.

"Use one hand!" He would command, "Disarm me, woman!" I can tell he was trying to be easy in a tough love kind of way. I made a movement to punch him, but he captured my fist, "Only your sword, Maiden. Only your sword."

Instead of focusing on the differences and trying to adjust, I decided to focus on the similarities. Like how his eyes betrayed his future movements, and how he gave away his style of fighting. When I grasped this idea, I was able to block, perry, riposte, and attack him. I could tell it took him off guard at how I did end up disarming him, he looked at me and at the sword on the ground before grunting, "Quick learner. Let's just hope you improve before we meet anything that has no mercy."

Draco picked up his sword, twirled it around with his wrist and walked back to his tent.

After that ordeal it wasn't long until I decided I should go to bed too. I barely slept the night before, and all that walking, drama, and heat that happened all in one day, it finally all caught up to me. I crawled into my tent that I shared with Lake, and nudged him to his side before collapsing on the bed of furs and our own blankets and pillows.

Like yesterday, I woke up obscenely early. Even more early than my brother who passed out before me. Though I guess this worked in my favour since now I can clean myself without the perverse eyes of men who haven't gotten laid in weeks. I grabbed the bag that had the shampoo and the small toothbrush and paste. When I slipped out of the tent, I saw Draco wide awake, sharpening his blade.

"Up a little early, are we?" He asked, not bothering to look up.

"I was hoping that I could go bathe before everyone woke up," I told him while picking up my sword just in case.

"There's a waterfall about twenty yards south from here. You just need to climb down the narrow stairs and the pool is beneath. It's not that far," he pulled something off his own bag and tossed it to me. I grabbed it in the air, but just barely. It was a horn likely made out of the horns of a bull. "If something happens, call on this and a man will be there for you."

I nodded, "Thank you."

I followed his directions. We were just outside the forest, which made the trees thin until I walked further on, where the trees got thicker, and the pathway was blocked by grass and fallen trees. After fifty minutes I heard the sound of falling water, and the air got cooler. With a sigh of relief, I saw the fall, not as tall as I pictured it, about twenty-five feet high and from what I could see it was an easy climb down. It seemed like people have been here before by the way it looked like stairs.

When I got to the bottom, there was flat land and then the shallow end of the pool. The water was so clear, you could see right down to the bottom where white sand and small fish and seaweed were. I've never bathed in a pond, or lake, or anything public like this, and even though I sounded to be alone, I just didn't trust the area. So I stripped off the Warrior Princess suit and left on my underwear. Boobs weren't obscene for me, after all I saw them all the time and I'm sure most people in my time and this time did too. It was just the southern parts I much rather keep private.

I dunked my head in the water, letting it calm down my burns and cool down my head before I reached the surface. I swam to the edge where I kept the shampoo and lathered my hair. While I cleansed myself, my mind drifted off again the possibility of this being a really vivd dream, or that I may be in a coma. However, with the two or three days I've been here, that possibility has been growing thin, so I gave up on the thought the moment I brought it back up. Instead I started to think of home, and how that when we return it would be like we never left, and no one would even know.

I thought about my friends, my class mates, and my history teacher, Professor... Um. What's his name. How could I forget my teacher's name? I furrowed my brow in thought, trying to comb my mind until I remembered what his name was, but not a clue could be found. I don't even remember what he looked like, which was all odd because he is my favourite teacher in College.

I ran my fingers through my hair, and then looked down. Something was off. The shampoo was out of my hair, but that was it. I had only died my hair not too long ago, and this has been the first time I washed it since then...There should be dye residue coming off the strands. But no. No red ink tainted the waters. How strange.

Someone laughed from behind me, "Something the matter, Maiden?"

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><p><strong>OOOOO, WHO'S SPYING ON OUR DEMI? Things get a little more curious after this chapter. :)<strong>

**happy readings xoxox**

**qtj**


	6. Divine Messenger

_**Just Read The Book**_

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><p><strong>I've finished chapter seven, it's short though, but I wanted to give you a chapter. I've been busier with school than I thought I was. Buy the time I get home, I have to take a shower and go to bed. 24 hours a week of class. Nine hours of class on tuesdays and wednesdays. Sheesh. Well, anyway, hope you like this chapter, it gets more intense. I have to watch the movie again to remind myself what happens next, so I don't know when the next chapter will be published. <strong>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER SIX.<strong>  
><em>Divine Messenger<em>

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><p>I spun around in the water, my girlish instincts making me covering my breasts. Behind me, about three yards away on a rock that went over the water, was a man in a white toga. It was just a skirt with a sash that went over his shoulder and wrapped around his midsection. He had curly brown hair, large blue eyes and a wide smile, but I did not recognize him. He was not part of the team I came with. He was laying on his stomach, resting his chin on his arm, looking at me with a large smile that showed some teeth. Underneath his palms, it looked to be a small gold helmet.<p>

"Who are you?" I immediately asked.

He bit his lip as he examined my near nude body, though when he saw that my pelvis was covered by some piece of cloth, he pouted. With a sigh, the stranger shook back his curls, "Guess."

My lids dropped in annoyance, "I have no idea."

"I will give you a hint, Maiden," He sat up and brushed off his hands, and then crossed his legs. "My mother is one of the seven Pleiades. As an infant, I stole my brother's cattle while my mother slept."

My mouth parted slightly as I stared at him in disbelief, "You're Hermes?"

He picked up the helmet he had been holding, and I saw the white golden wings that were at the sides, then he uncrossed his legs and I saw white wings that were on the ankles of his sandals.

"I am," he grinned. "The messenger of the gods, and the God of commerce, thieves, travelers, sports, border crossings, and...guide to the Underworld."

"What are you doing here?" I asked, moving farther away from him. I knew Hermes wasn't a bad god, but he was sneaky. He said it himself, he stole Apollo's cattle when he was an infant, and walked backwards to play with the evidence, and then distracted him with a lyre.

"I can't talk to a beautiful maiden?" He asked innocently, rolling onto his stomach and played with the surface of the water with his finger.

"Not while said maiden is bathing, and is armed with a sword," I narrowed my eyes at him.

Hermes looked to the side, "I see a sword. So far away though." He was still laying on his stomach, his fists holding up his chin, and his knees bended that his feet were in the air. The little wings on his sandals flapped and I watched with amazement and some horror as floated off the rock and towards me. Then he laughed, "Why so modest, Kore? Surely a daughter of Zeus has more confidence in her body. Enough to share it with someone?"

"My virtue, Hermes, Messenger of the Gods, is not to be shared. Not until marriage," I was backed up against the side of the pool by now.

He lifted up his arm and stroked my cheek and down my neck, "I am but a god without a consort, my dear. Marriage could be arranged. I'm sure our father would approve-"

I smacked his hand away from me as he got dangerously close to my bosom, "As _charming _as your proposal is, Hermes, I'll have to decline."

His smug face turned serious, his eyes stern and his wide smile moving to a frown, not a pout. It seemed that I also smacked the playfulness out of him.

"And why not? Am I not good for you? You think I'm not worthy of a god for your beauty?" I was about to slap him again, or punch him, anything to retaliate, but he gripped my arm and forced the other away from my chest. "Just because you're the daughter of Zeus and-"

I was struggling to get away from him, but before I, or he, could do any damage, he was pulled off into the forest by something. It groaned and cracked as it wrapped around the Divine Messenger's leg, and tugged him far into the forest that I couldn't even register what happened. I didn't even think about it, because I didn't care what happened to Hermes.

I didn't linger there anymore. I got out of the pool and began to dress. On my way back to the campsite, I concluded that bathing and walking back was counter productive, since I had nothing to dry myself with, I was still wet, and by the time I returned, my thighs and arms had bits of dirt and leafs on them. But it seemed like no one cared to notice that, and I joined everyone for breakfast of stale bread and rabbit stew, which was gross by the way.

After everyone packed up, urinated, and ate, we set off again on foot. Arion complained every once in a while about his muscles being still sore, but for the safety of his neck, he told only me. So I took his shield as long as he took the bag of our effects, giving him enough room to write in his notebook.

"What are you writing about now?" I asked

Looking up at me, he had a look of surprise, as if he was caught doing something he didn't know he was doing, "I don't know. I just felt like writing. Where did you go off to in the early morn?"

"To bathe," I answered, exhaling heavily through my nose.

"Something happen?"

I looked around to see if anyone was listening, but everyone seemed to keep to each other. I purposely lagged behind as I pulled my brother aside, "I had a visiter. Hermes."

"The Messenger God?"

"Yeah, he- wait," I paused and looked at him curiously. "How do you know who he is? You don't know a thing about Greek Mythology."

He shrugged, "I guess I remember some things from that movie with Logan Lerman, you know...the one that's based off of that book. Ugh, what's it called."

I scratched my head thinking, "Ah, I don't know. I just remember it had something to do with this story." I looked up and realized we were lagging behind, "C'mon, before we're left behind."

And we walked. We walked over hills, and through mud, only resting for lunch, and pee breaks. The second day was down, and we settled in a part of the forest next to the creek. I guessed it was the same creek that led to the water fall that I was bathing, so it gave me a chance to wash off the mud from my boots and legs without stripping down.

Perseus wasn't getting along with anyone. Ixas would show him some kindness, but never one to start conversations. The only one that talked to him was me and my brother. Io sometimes, but she rarely showed her face. In fact, people paid little respect to my brother too, because he was near to useless. I asked Draco after dinner if he could give us a private lesson, he accepted, albeit reluctantly.

"I've killed you twice now," Draco barked at Arion. "Move your body with your sword. Your sword is part of your body. Girl, come here and show your brother."

It went on like this for two hours before Draco made a half-assed compliment about not being as bad as a one armed hunch back. I guess that means we improved. Draco left back to the base camp, leaving me and Arion alone in a clearing.

We sat on a fallen tree to rest, both sharing the pouch of water.

"I guess I should have stayed with fencing back home," He laughed.

"Yeah, you should have," I laughed as well.

"Kore,"

"Yeah?" I looked up at him.

"I don't remember what my room looks like. My room back home..."

I moved my eyes from him to my hands, "I don't even remember what home looks like. I don't remember a lot of things. I don't understand, Arion."

"What I don't understand is that you've stopped calling me Lake."

When he said that, I opened my mouth to comment, but it was true. "And you've been calling me Kore."

"I think we're in trouble," he swallowed, pulling out his note book. "I've been documenting since we arrived here. It hasn't been long, but already the way I write is different from when I started." He passed me his note book, and I read the first paragraph and then latest entry he had written.

"I don't understand... It hasn't been that long," I gave it back to him once I finished.

"The only conclusion I can draw is that everything in any universe has a purpose," he explained, "Even in this... story. Since we came here without a purpose, there is some kind of force that is writing us in the story... giving us a reason to be here. Something like..."

"The Moirae," I finished for him. This sounded like the work of The Fates, there was no other deity that could make this happen.

"The what?"

"They're the Fates, they choose the destiny of each life that's born, it's said that even the gods fear them," I stood up and started pacing. "It takes them three days to decide the destiny of every life... after the birth of a child, it takes them three days. How long have we been here?"

Arion flipped through the pages of his notebook and read the dates, when he was finished he slowly moved his eyes back to mine, "This is our third night. What does that mean?"

"That means," I bite my lip, "Tonight might be the last night we remember anything about our lives at all." I just hoped I was wrong.

Sitting back down next to him all we could do is be silent. We held each other's hand. We didn't even bother going back to the camp when it got late. Instead we decided to write down what we could remember about our old life in Arion's notebook. We wrote our names, our parents names, and our city. There were things we struggled to remember, like who our friends were, and the street we lived on. While we wrote it all down, we started to remanence on the memories as children...which really hit it.

"I'm sorry... Demi,"

"Nah, it's not your fault," I smiled, whipping a tear that slid down my cheek. "You just wanted an adventure."

"Heh, yeah, an adventure. Not a new life." With a shaking sigh, he put his note book back into our bag and laid down on the ground.

I took the place next to him, using one arm as a pillow and the other laid on my chest while my fingers played with the lion pendent. The sky was barely seen passed the trees, but it wasn't the sky I was looking at. There was something about the trees that were even more remarkable than the stars.

I woke up to the sound of a scuffle. I shot up from the ground and immediately noticed that Arion was missing. My heart started to race, and so did I. I grabbed my sword and my shield, and ran towards the noise. If it was Belo, I would not hesitate in chopping off his fingers.

"What a sad excuse for a son of Poseidon!" A voice boomed like non other I ever heard. A laugh followed as he struck a bone-crack blow.

I didn't bother seeing who it was that struck him, or even minded the fact that the closer I got to the scene, the hotter the air got. With my sword I jumped in the air sliced down, hitting the attacker. From the briefness of the hit, I must have only nipped his side.

I fell to the ground onto my shoulder. It was still dark outside, but I was able to see Arion laying on the floor almost unconcious. He had a cut on the side of his face from being smacked against the tree. I crawled over to him, but before I could even touch him, someone grabbed the back of my armour and pulled me up.

"WHO DARES TO CHALLENGE THE GOD OF WAR?"

He dangled me before him, as if I was just a new born pup. The man was massive, with bulging muscles, tanned skin, chin-length blond hair and eyes that burned amber. If I wasn't scared to my core, I would have thought him beautiful.

When he saw that I was a woman, his eyes narrowed, pulled me closer and sniffed my neck and laughed. "I know that scent. You smell like a god...What was your name again, girl? Kore? Hah!" He tossed me onto the ground, making me land flat on my back. "Not for long. Your brother, concious or not, would not be able to protect you."

"Protect me from what?" I asked even though I knew the possible answers. I sczootched away from him, but that didn't take me far as I was now up against a tree.

"From me, of course," he took a step closer, his looming form shadowing the moon from my face. Artemis was blinded from me, there was no help from that goddess tonight. "You may not be Aphrodite, girl, but you will do for tonight. And perhaps if our father accepts you into Olympus, you will be my wife. If you can survive my girth, that is." With a deep chuckle, he bent down on one knee and gripped my sides to pull him closer.

I kicked and screamed, and tried to reach for the horn Draco gave me that I kept on my belt at all times, but Ares smacked it away.

He almost ripped open the cloth underneath my skirt before someone kicked him in the face. If I wasn't there, I would not believe that Arion, my own brother, was the one that kicked Ares, the God of War, one of the most feared and untrusted gods in Olympus, off of me.

"Keep your hands off my sister," Arion hissed.

Ares looked up, taken off guard by my brother's clear face. I was too. That was not the only change in Arion...He was taller, his legs more muscular and so were his arms. He was still small compared to Draco and his men, but the upgrade was different. And what's more strange was that I couldn't remember him any other way. As if that was how he always was.

"You insolent little-" Ares got up, drawing his golden sword. But another strange thing happened. There was another groan, and a series of snaps, and something wrapped around the god's neck. Unlike Hermes, Ares struggled, managing to snap it off his neck, but more just came, wrapping around his colossal arms and legs. With a growl and a shout, the vines, or branches managed to wrap themselves around him thrice before pulling him deeper in the forest.

"What was that?" Arion asked, helping me up to my feet once Ares disappeared.

"I don't know... It happened to Hermes too, the other night."

Arion didn't question it anymore, instead he looked at me, "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine, I think. What about you? Your face... there are no cuts," I would have mentioned his whole body, but for some reason I felt that there was no need to question it.

He rubbed his cheek, "I am fine. My face, my cuts... it healed. I suppose... we really are children of the gods."

"How could that be? We had a father, and a mother and brothers!"

"Kore, listen to me. Do you even remember Father? Mother? Do you remember anything before we washed up on the beach?"

I didn't want to believe him, but it was true. All I remembered was washing up on the beach, and then Argos knocking down Zeus' Statue. I hated to admit it, but Arion had a point, we remembered nothing... in fact, I don't even remember when I was a child.

"I do not like this, Arion," I crossed my arms, feeling the night chill finally. With Ares gone, it was cold out side. There was something about the gods hot temper that made everything within two or three yards around him warm, or hot.

"Me either," he took me in his arms and hugged me. We stayed like that for a moment before he decided we needed to go, "We've been away from the camp long enough. We do not want Draco to think that we ran off on them."

He told me to climb on his back, and then dashed through the forest back to where we had fallen asleep to get our things. It must have been midnight, but when we got back to the campsite, we had an earful from Draco. Saying that he heard screams and sent out three men to find us. We could not explain to him what happened, he would think we were betraying man by consulting Ares, or other gods. Instead, we called upon Io and explained about what happened with Hermes and the God of War.

"I am not surprised that the two of you had divine encounters," Io said, surprisingly calm about it all.

"Why?" Arion asked.

She hesitated before answering, "It is not my place to say. You will find out what interest the gods hold to you in days time."

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><p><strong>I bet you weren't seeing that coming. A lot of things were revealed in one chapter, I must admit. Hope you enjoy it. Happy readings xoxox<strong>


	7. The Lame God

_**Just Read The Book**_

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><p><strong>Whoo, managed to finsih chapter eight this evening before going to bed, so I decided to update chapter seven for you guys. This one is kinda short, but when I wrote it I felt like the ending was fine. Chapter eight has more action in it, as it goes more into the movie. <strong>

Moka-Girl:** Percy Jackson the movie has NOTHING to do with the story of Perseus. It doesn't even begin to relate to the actual story. The only thing they got right was Medusa. But Clash of the Titans doesn't follow the original story at all either. But you don't need to watch either to understand this. If you know a bit about Ancient Greek Gods, you wouldn't be that lost. But I try to explain some things through Demi/Kore. Thanks for reading! **

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><p><strong>CHAPTER SEVEN.<strong>  
><em>The Lame God<em>

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><p>And we waited. Our third day on the journey came and gone, and no visits from any gods. It was the fourth day of walking, we were still cutting through the woods until we decided to take a pit stop, eat, and relax. We all sat on logs, I sat beside Eusebios, and beside him Ixas playing his flute. Badly. Really badly, earning him glares from all around.<p>

Solon was the first to do something about it, asking for it with a motion of his hand. When Ixas gave it to him, Solon snapped it half. Me and Eusebios exchanged looks, but it seemed that our friend had something up his sleeve, or rather, in his bag. Without a word he drew out another flute and began to play.

The look on Solon's face made it difficult not to laugh.

For the longest time we had gone without meat, only surviving on water, fruit, vegetables, hard bread, and potato slices. Now that we were near a stream where the fish were edible, Perseus went out to catch us some. When he came back, no one would of thought the sight of dead fish to be the most beautiful sight to behold.

Draco and Arion returned just when Perseus started cutting the fish. They had left earlier to train in Swordplay, as I requested him to. I suppose now, after four days of walking, Draco was starting to suspect that Perseus knew as much as Arion did, if not less.

Arion took the empty seat next to me, his forehead beaded with sweat, and his face red. "How was training?" I asked.

"Tiresome. What are we having?"

"Raw fish, it seems..."

From the distance we saw Draco show Perseus the motions of the sword. The way he moved his sword around his wrist was so effortlessly, so graceful, you almost forgot it was a weapon.

We watched as Draco effortlessly kicked Perseus down, and pointed his sword at him. The men, mostly Belo and Solon laughed at his expense. I rolled my eyes, for some reason knowing that it will end with Perseus disarming Draco. I didn't know how I knew, but I just did.

Draco told the demi god to stand up, but he didn't even give him a chance to get onto his heels before lounging at him. Perseus was forced to block twice, bounce up, and continue to block Draco's attacks. He was swift with his blocks and his dodges, faster than myself. Several times in a day Draco had nipped or cut me from practice.

Before anyone registered what was happening, Perseus struck a blow with his fist, met his sword with his own, and managed to smack it out of Draco's hand causing it to shoot into a tree. We all ducked before it could hit any one of us, and then turned back to them two, all awestricken. It was clear as day that Perseus was a real Demi God, blessed naturally with the gifts of combat.

The fish was cooked and we ate every bit of it. Belo ate most of it, leaving little for Perseus, Arion and myself. Arion, still hungry, went through his bag hoping to find food, he did, finding these curious items that were wrapped in thin shiny material. It looked to be a small bun of different kinds of nuts, all mixed with honey. Arion didn't question it, and gave one to myself and the other to Perseus who was skeptical as to what it was and whether or not we were trying to poison him. However, the accusation was a playful one.

Everyone went to bed at the same time, as did I. Though the following morning I woke up before dawn, like most nights it seemed. It had to be routine, especially if I wanted to wash myself in peace. I snuck out of the tent without waking anyone up, and tip toed towards the stream, though more north from the campsite. I learned from my encounter with Hermes not to strip down naked, so instead I dunked my legs, washed my arms and wet my hair, knowing it will cool me down under the sun.

There was a snap sound behind me, and I spent no hesitation in getting out my sword and turned around. I had two encounters with gods before, if it was only one of the men back in camp I was ready to take them.

But it wasn't one of the guards. I've never seen this man before, and I'd know if I did. He was a sight to see, but not kind to the eyes. He was large, larger than Belo, with a squared head, the body the size of an old oak tree, and what looked to be a bad leg. His brow was large, like an ape's, and his eyes were so small, I couldn't see them from the shadow his brow bone casted.

"Who are you?" I asked, my sword pointed at him.

"You have nothing to fear, Kore. I've been waiting to see you, after what my half-brothers have been doing to you," his voice was rough, but he just stood there, making no movement to move my sword.

"Halfbrothers?" I only moved my sword down an inch, but remained it pointed at him. "Hermes and Ares? Them? So you're a god too?" It was more of an accusation.

"Not a very appreciated one, I can tell you, Maiden. My name is Hephaestus, god of-"

"God of Blacksmiths, craftsmen, Technology and Volcanoes," I answered for him. The smile he had was small, but it was noted, so I assumed that because I knew his title, it made him glad. "What can I do for you, Hephaestus?"

"It has reached public knowledge that you and your brother are with the other demi-god," he stated, sitting down on a rock to give his gimp leg a rest. "When your father found out that Ares and Hermes had tried to persuade you, he sent me for protection."

"My father? Zeus? Tell me, Hephaestus, how is he my father? I had a family, my own mother, my own father, and four brothers-"

"Tell me, Kore, do you remember much of them?" The look I gave him was a good enough answer. I didn't remember them. "You and Arion fell from the sky, washed up on the beach. You came to Earth out of thin air. I saw you myself."

I shook my head and backed up a fraction, "that is not true, our family was killed in a storm."

"What storm, girl? The sky was clear for a week before you arrived," the lame god sighed, clenched his jaw and then reached a hand to me. "Give me your sword."

I stepped back, my hand clutching on the hilt, "Why?"

"Give me your sword. The metal is frail; the first blow in a real duel will make it break," he answered back calmly.

Reluctantly I gave him my sword. He held it by the hilt and stood up from the boulder. As soon as he did, the stone engulfed in hot flame. It was so sudden it actually threw me back against a tree. I watched in amazement as the god through my sword into the fire and it melted almost instantly. I was going to protest, but before I could do anything, he pulled off the hammer that was at his belt and began to hammer away at the large rock. At first it sounded like the rock was breaking with every hit, but eventually the loud 'ting' sounds of stone hitting metal replaced it.

Before I knew what he was doing, it had ended. The flames died down, and the boulder was much smaller than it originally was. Hephaestus pulled out a sword from the smoldering rock, the most beautiful thing I ever seen.

It was a true Greek sword, but at the same time was nothing I've ever seen before. The sword was a dark silver, the colour of river rocks. The handle was gold, contrasting against the dark blade. But it was what was engraved and decorated in the sword that made it so beautiful. The blade had engravings of ivy wrapped around the base of the blade and faded until it reached the tip. The top of the handle had triangle crystals so small it could fit on my nail. But most curious of all was what was on the end of the hilt. A engraving of a Pomegranate, shining under the sun due to the black onyx it was embedded with.

He flipped the weapon as he handed me it hilt first. It startled me, since the blade did nothing to his calloused hands, and I had completely forgotten that what he held was once my sword.

"I do not deserve a sword like this," I exhaled a breath I had only realized now I was holding.

"It is merely your former sword, but polished and strengthen. Think of it as a gift from me. It is lighter and more flexible; you will fight with ease with this one."

I looked between him and my new sword, and then slowly raised a hand to the hilt. I gripped it, expecting it to break or burn my hand from the divineness of it. The metal was cool and comfortable on my hand, as if it was made to fit the contours of my fingers and palm, and only mine. When Hephaestus let go of the blade, I was also expecting it to drop to the ground in a thud, but it didn't. It stayed high in the air, glittering magnificently. It weighed only slightly more than a block of wood a child would use as a sword.

I flicked my wrist about, feeling the ease of it. This would make fighting in the manner that I do so much easier. I moved my eyes to the god who looked back thoughtfully.

"I thank you, Hephaestus. I am in your debt," I bowed my head.

"I think not. It would be a pleasure to be your consort, Kore, but I am afraid that I would not be suitable for someone like you."

I blinked, tilting my head to the side curiously, "You are the first divine I've met that has treated me with kindness and has kept his hands to himself. If I wasn't so determined to keep my maidenhood, you would be the ideal. Besides, aren't you married the Aphrodite? I pale in comparison to her."

Hephaestus sighed heavily, the small smile he had when I told him that he was ideal faded. "Aphrodite was an unwilling bride, forced upon me by your father. She is unfaithful, and cunning."

I looked down briefly at the floor. I was not a follower of Aphrodite, she wasn't one of my favourite gods, but like all others, she was respected and feared by me. However the respect died more at the look on Hephaestus' face. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. To pay you back for this sword, I will find a way to humiliate Aphrodite."

He gave a lop sided smile and gave a short nod, "It is time for me to leave. Be careful, Kore, and perhaps I we will meet again."

Nodding, I smiled, "I look foreword to it."

He inclined his head in a slight nod, and turned, hobbling off into the distance until the ground rumbled and he melted into the earth as hot lava.

After he was gone, I looked down at my sword as it gleamed in my eye. The pomegranate sat at the end of my palm. The fruit reminded me of my hunger, and I suddenly wished that a tree was near by. Sadly, no. I would go back to the camp and eat stale bread with the rest of the soldiers.

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><p><strong>Those of you that know a bit about Ancient Greece and a specific story, I'm sure you're starting to see where I'm going with this and why I said it will become canon later on in the story. So for those that have no idea what I'm doing, let me just clarify - yes, there is a very strong foreshadow in this chapter. <strong>

**Happy Readings xoxox**

**qtj**


	8. Abomination

_**Just Read The Book**_

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><p><strong>Sorry updating took months. School and all. I haven't been in school in two years, and I promised myself and my parents that I will be invested in it fully, and it will come first before my hobbies. Of course, that doesn't mean that I won't stop writing! That goes to my Somewhere Over The Rainbow series! I just can't promise how frequent I will update. <strong>

**Also, to make it clear, Kore and Arion forgot everything. Even the note book where they written everything. But it's still in Arion's bag. ;) However, you can't technically forget things, especially big memories, so that's why they have little deja vu moments. **

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><p><strong>CHAPTER EIGHT.<strong>  
>Abomination<p>

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><p>When I returned back to camp, there was tension with those that were awake. Draco had obtained something, something no longer than a small dagger, but was shaped as a hilt.<p>

"It was a gift to Perseus, from the gods," Draco explained when I had asked about it. "The foolish boy rejected it. He thinks he could fight the divine as a man." Draco scoffed and paced on the spot.

Instinctively my hand went on my hilt, and wondered if I should have told him about my own gift from a god. I opened my mouth to say something about it, but Draco suddenly went back in his tirade.

"Where is the Demi God anyway? PERSEUS!"

He obviously disliked Perseus more than he did I and my brother, it might have been because we weren't as stubborn as our half brother, or as arrogant. While the rest of the men searched for Perseus, who wondered off into the woods a few hours ago, I went over to help my brother pack his tent and effects. During which I had told him about Hephaestus and the sword he forged for me.

"Why is every other Demi God receiving divine gifts but me?" He sighed dramatically and sunk his shoulders.

I opened my mouth to respond, but then there was a great loud cry from deep in the woods. All men stopped what they were doing, looked in the direction and then grabbed their swords. The yell sounded like Belo's.

I grabbed my shield and slung it over my shoulder, for some reason I assumed that we will be needing it. It was just a feeling. My brother followed me, but soon ran ahead, his long legs speeding through the trees, surpassing all of the other soldiers. When did he get so fast?

When we arrived at the scene, Perseus was fighting a monster. Or a man. He certainly looked like a monster with mangled yet fit arms and legs, a scarred and burnt face, and half a scalp. He was hideous, and gruesome, and brutal.

He took a bite out of Perseus' arm, and at that moment, Ixas pulled out his bow and hit an error into the monster's shoulder. After that Draco charged him with a battle cry, kicking him with both souls of his feet against his chest. However this had no effect on the enemy, causing Draco to fall back down. Multiple other men tried to attack him, but it seemed like the monster had super human strength. He kicked down many, and crushed a man's head through his metal helm.

After another soldier charged him, and was was punched down, the Monster turned to me and my brother, his face twisted in a grotesque sneer.

"More abominations!"

"Who are you calling an abomination, you swine!" My brother shouted back.

That wasn't the smartest of ideas, because the monster then charged at us. Arion grabbed my wrist, and was about to push me out of the way even though I was willing to stand my ground. Hadn't been Perseus who acted quicker, I would've fallen on my shoulder. Our half brother charged the monster, but he caught him by the end, and began to crush his skull. Out of instinct, I pulled out my sword and then leapt to the two and managed to cut off the monster's hand.

By then the remaining soldiers, including Ixas, Eusbios, Solon, and Draco came to corner the now one-handed monster as he backed up from Perseus, Arion and I. He began to growl like a mad wolf as we circled him. With our weapons held high, the Monster turned and ran the opposite direction.

"Who was that?" Solon asked as the monster ran off and disappeared.

"I don't know," Perseus breathed.

I stared where the monster ran off too. I felt like I've seen him before, but I had no recollection where. I should remember, though, how could anyone forget someone like that?

"Let's ask him," Perseus then added and began to run in the direction that the monster had ran off to. He grabbed a sword and a shield and continued on. I didn't know what to do, and it seemed like everyone else thought the same thing. Until we all looked at each other and followed the other demi god.

We kept on running until the hills started to get dry and the trees became fewer. Instead of grass and dirt we were running on hard sand under the blazing sun, with no signs of shadow near by. We ran around rock walls and hills, climbing and following spilt black blood that looked like tar that burnt the sand. Before we knew it, we were looking down to a ruin on top of one of the sandy high hills, watching the monster run off in the distance.

Draco approached an exhausted Perseus from behind, and told him to let it go. The demi god refused, "No, we split up. Just follow the blood," and then he ran off in one direction without another word.

I looked at my brother in uncertainty. There was no point following this monster, we had no idea who he was and we had important matters to deal with. Alas, everyone followed Perseus into the ruin, including Draco.

Not wanting to be separated from our leader, we followed him.

We heard him lurking around boulders, his feet crunching the sand beneath his sandals. We crept around the rocks, to see if we could tramp him.

In the end, some where else far from us, the two hunter brothers managed to knock him down with their massive axe.

The monster flew to the ground on all fours, looking up with a scowl on his face at his assaulters.

"C'mon," one of the brothers taunted.

They raised their weapons above their heads as the monster got onto his feet. But something strange happened. His black blood spilt from his stump of a wrist, sinking into the sand, as if it poisoned the earth.

Large claws shot from the ground beneath them, surprising the monster. It was if Gaia had gave birth to these large arachnids after being impregnated by the man's blood.

We ran in the direction to the hunters, hearing the noises, but more claws and pointed legs shot from the earth. The giant scorpion turned to us with his pincers snapping at us threateningly.

Solon turned to Perseus, "Happy now?"

That's when our first real battle began. Arachnid after arachnid emerged from the ground and we fought them in pairs. Me and my brother had our own scorpion to defeat, as did many of the others.

It was hopeless, the shells were far too thick for arrows to pierce, as I had tried. I wasn't skilled enough to aim my bow in the right area with the beast moving so much. I must admit, I was far too frightened to face the beast close, but I had no other choice. My new sword will be really tested now.

It was as light as a feather and it cut through the bug's armour like melted butter. Arion managed to cut off the tip of the tail, making sure that was not an issue. All that was left were its pincers that chomped at us aggressively.

I raised my sword once I had a clear view of his pincer, but his bleeding tail whipped me out of the way, making me topple over a rock and landed flat on my back on a jagged stone. I shouted in agony as I felt my ribs crack.

I could hear from the distance the grunts and yells and screams of the soldiers fighting and being stabbed and thrown. I picked myself up from the ground despite my ribs not agreeing with standing up. I had no choice, I was in the line of fighting, and I needed to help. With one arm clutching my ribs, the other held onto my sword, and I jumped over the rocks with some difficulty and went to help my brother, who was now riding the scorpion on it's back, trying to wretch its tail from its body.

Its pincers were trying to grab him from its back, but was incapable of reaching. While it was preoccupied, I held my sword in the air and jumped from the rock I had been standing on, chopping off the pincer from the wrist, and I quickly followed the next. It cried in agony, a terrifying sound that resembled a low-pitched lobster when you throw it into a pot of boiling hot water.

My brother took no mercy on the beast, and plunged his spear right through the monster's head, instantly killing him and making his body thump on the ground, gusts of sand floating as he did.

On the other side of the ruin, another scorpion fell to its death after it collided with one too many stone walls. Arion and I ran to the survivors, and from the looks of it, it seemed to be only Ixas, Solon, Eusebios, Draco, Perseus and Io. We saw no one else.

"You're hurt," Eusebios said once he saw me clenching my torso.

I gave him a weak smile, "A few broken ribs. I think I may live."

Io stepped further, "Do not be unwise, Kore. Once we are in safe lands, your wounds should be immediately looked at. I never met a man that survived long with broken ribs without tending."

"Lucky I'm not a man then, eh?"

At that moment, there were more shouts. We looked over in the direction and saw the hunters running over the hill in a frantic. To our dismay, they were followed by another scorpion.

And then, before we knew it, we were being circled around by five more.

We were trapped in the middle, wounded, with our last fight in us and our swords and spears and bows raised.

To make matters worse, these were larger.

With a battle cry, we charged them, but they didn't do anything to counter attack, so we froze and looked around in wonder. We soon found out why as we heard an incoherent chanting in a foreign language from behind. Turning to the source, it was none other that I saw before. Humanoid creatures that were not at all men, cloaked in blue robes and turbans and holding a staff and raising their hand to tame the beasts using magic.

"What are they?" Arion asked.

"Djinn," Solon answered. "I fought them at the Legion; this is their desert."

"They aren't beasts," Perseus commented, shaking his head. His shoulders lifted with his heavy breaths.

"I thought so," Draco added.

"They aren't human, not anymore," Solon continued. "Desert conjurers, cutthroats..."

I stepped foreword, "Somebody should thank them."

Perseus nodded in agreement, and we both marched towards the group.

"What?" Solon's voice rang.

Before we could get halfway close, Perseus hissed in pain and clenched his elbow.

"What is wrong?" I looked to him and watched in concern as he dropped his sword and extended at his arm as if he hadn't seen it ever before.

I walked around him and saw that the bite mark from the monster earlier was growing dark and infected, "Perseus... your arm."

He didn't say anything as little black lines followed up his arm, making it difficult for him to move the limb. What ever poision that infected his veins was evidently too strong, as he used his other arm to cradle it and in return fell backwards onto the ground.

"Perseus!" I got down onto my knees and tried to reach for his arm, but a blue electric burn shot through my hand, "Ow!"

Io and Draco were soon by our sides.

"What is it?" Draco asked.

Io breathed heavily as she replied, "Venom. From hades."

I looked at the woman at the mention of the god's name. Draco bent down and forced Perseus to look at him.

"Pray," he commanded. "Pray to Zeus for strength."

"No," he refused, even though in agonizing pain.

Gripping his chin he said again, "Pray to your damn father."

Perseus twisted to look at him and said through gritted teeth, "No."

In frustration, Draco threw his head back.

There was nothing left to be done. We couldn't go any longer without burying our dead and tending to our wounded. We set up camp near the mountains of the desert, taking salvation in the shade it provided. The Djinn stayed with us as we cleaned the bodies from their desert and buried them in rocks with coins upon their eyes.

The most they could attended to me was sewing up the deep gashes on my back and wrapping my waist in cloth, using some leafs to help heal. But I knew that that won't be healing up the bones that were still broken inside of me.

I was getting tired of the desert air, the dust clouded my lugs and the smell of sand was overwhelming. So I snuck away from the Djinn and the soldiers, finding a place of solitude in the mountain where there were only trees with little leaves trying to survive on the shadow and the beating sun, and the little water that was there. It was far too small to be a pond, but still had life inside.

I sat down on a flat rock with some difficulty, feeling the pain inside. However, I could never imagine Perseus' pain, he had the venom of Hades, not I. Dipping down, I washed my sand and blood soiled hands in the water, and that is when I saw a glowing figure in the reflection.

I spun around, but cried out when I did. It was not a good idea, because my broken ribs protested in an agonizing fashion. I clutched my side and curled myself up.

"You're hurt," the man said, his voice unrecognizable.

I opened an eye to peer at him, and I found myself blinded by his glowing armour. It was like he was wearing the very stars in his suit.

"Another god?" I asked through my pain.

"I take it you've met more," he said as he bent down. When he did, the sun did not hit him directly, but he still shone. I got a better look at him this time. Dark curly locks of hair and a handsome face that no woman or man for that matter could deny its beauty and would instantly fall for.

"Every night and morning for the past four days," I grimaced. "Which one are you?"

"A brother," he answered in the sweetest voice, "Apollo. I've come to help you."

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><p><strong>Those of you who saw that coming, I'm sure you know who Kore's going to meet next, haha. Eventually this story will stray away from the movie, making it easier for me to write it - i wouldn't have to go back to the movie and watch it every paragraph. <strong>

**happy readings**

**qtj xoxox**


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